Bowling ball determining gauge



Dec. 13, 1955- E. J. BELSKl 2,726,454

BOWLING BALL DETERMINING GAUGE Filed Feb. 20, 1952 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR Edward J. Belski 0 @IQMQQL ATTORNEYS 1366- 1955 E. J. BELSKI BOWLING BALL DETERMINING GAUGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1952 INVENTOR Edward J. Belski Fig. 6

United States Patent BOWLING BALL DETERMINING GAUGE Edward J. Belski, Haddoufield, N. J.

Application February 20, 1952, Serial No. 272,669

Claims. (Cl. 33-174) My invention relates to bowling ball selectors.

In the game of bowling of the type known as bottle pins as distinguished from duck pins or candle pins, it is customary to use a large ball generally weighing from 12 to 16 pounds and having holes bored therein into which holes the user will insert his thumb and finger or fingers. If the holes in the ball suit the users thumb and fingers, and the pitch of the holes suits the individual, and if the span between the holes is proper, the user is better prepared to control the movement of the ball when it is delivered on the alley.

Different gauges have been made to position the holes in bowling balls, to obtain the desired span, and to obtain the proper finger and thumb hole sizes, but no grip gauges commonly in use provide means for determining the respective pitches of the individual holes which are essential in obtaining a natural, balanced grip on the bowling ball.

Also the grip gauges commonly in use do not provide a means of obtaining a drilled bowling ball whose center of gravity is actually balanced by the users grip because the gauges themselves are not balanced or they cant be swung in the hand to simulate the feel of a bowling ball.

Also the methods commonly employed to transfer a gauges measurements to a bowling ball have too often been faulty, resulting in a bowling ball grip diiferent from that indicated by the gauge.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a grip determining gauge with thumb and finger bore selectors each of which shall have its own pitch adjustment.

A further purpose is to provide a gauge with an unlimited number of thumb to finger spans.

-A further purpose is to provide a gauge wherein the positioning of the thumb hole in relation to the forward finger hole where more than one finger hole is used can be adjusted to suit the users hand.

A further purpose is to provide a gauge whereby space between the finger holes where more than one finger hole is used can be adjusted to suit the users natural grip.

A further purpose is to provide a gauge whose weight can be varied according to the users desire, and still not affect the center of gravity of the gauge in simulating the feel of a bowling ball in the users grip.

A further purpose is to provide a gauge wherein the determining settings and pitches of the thumb and finger bore selectors can be locked in position to be used as a guide for the drilling of the holes in a bowling ball.

A further purpose is to provide a gauge which can be swung in the hand to test the determined grip for proper balance and feel before drilling the bowling ball.

A further purpose is to provide an exact means of duplicating the predetermined grip of the gauge on to the bowling ball.

A further purpose is to provide an economical gauge.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and claims.

In the drawings like numerals refer to like partsthroughout.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved bowling ball grip determining gauge.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 22 of Figure l.

Figure 2a is a fragmentary sectional perspective of a detail of bushing used in my invention and referred as a common bushing.

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a conventional disc used in my gauge.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the finger bore selectors used in my gauge.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of finger bore selector.

My invention is directed to the method and apparatus.

' trate in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive a gauge having a thumb bore selector 21 and finger bore selectors 22 and 23. Each of the bore selectors is suitably a tube of the desired finger and thumb sizes. The tube will normally be circular in cross section as contemplated in Fig ures l to 5 inclusive, but it may, where desired, be flat oval as indicated at 22 of Figure 6. The flat oval bore selector would be used by a bowler who desires to in sert a plurality of fingers in one hole. The bore selector tubes shall be available in sets to fit various finger sizes and are formed of metal, plastic, or any material that will hold its shape.

Each of the bore selector tubes is mounted on an arm 24 which as suggested by the dotted and dot-anddash lines in Figure 5 is flexible at 32. In the case of the flat oval bore selector of Figure 6, it is desirable to use two arms 24 at opposite sides of the selector.

The flexible arms 24 of each bore selector are held in place between steel discs 25 and 26 located on a threaded stud 27 and which extends from the side of metallic core 28 which is placed at the center of the gauge. On each side of the core an additional disc or discs 30 and 30' are symmetrically placed displacing the flexible arms 24 from the core 28 and supplying additional weight to the gauge. At the outer ends of studs 27 are placed washers 62 and thumb screws 31 for clamping the flexible arms 24 in place.

Between the outer ends of the bore selectors are sections of spherical shells 33 and 34, the outer shell ofwhich agrees with the contour of a bowling ball and the inner shell 34 is sufliciently smaller than the outer shell 33 so that it slides inside.

The inner shell 34 at its two diametrically opposite points of support is rigidly interconnected with collar 35 having set screw 36 by which to lock collar 35 and therefore shell 34 to common bushing 37.

The outer shell 33 at its two diametrically opposite points of support is rigidly interconnected with collar 41 having set screw 42 by which to lock collar 42 and therefore shell 33 to common bushing 37 Common bushing 37 supports and turns in collars 41 and 35 and has a face 44 and handles 45 extending outwardly and is itself supported and turns about reduced portion 38 of shaft 40 which has a countersunk end 63 and is threaded having thumb screw 43 which acts against face 44 of common bushing 37 acting against the shoulder on shaft 40 thereby clamping the common bushing, the collars, and the inner and outer spherical shells to shaft 40.

Shaft 40 is rigidly attached to center core 28, located at the center of the gauge.

Starting with all set screws and thumb screws loose, the general procedure in setting the gauge and the various functions of the parts shall be as follows:

From the set of finger and thumb bore selectors, the

proper tubes shall' be selectedto suit the size of fingers" and thumb, thereby determining the required diameter of the respective holes.

The outer portion of spherical shell 33 shall be locked to the common bushing 37 on shaft 40" by set screw 42. Diametrically opposite, the inner portion of spherical shell shall be locked to. the common bushing 37 by set screw 36 so that by turning the handles 45 of the diametrically opposite common bushing 37' in opposite directions, the inner and outer spherical sections will spread forming variable spans between the exposed edges of the inner and outer spherical shells.

With the thumb and'finger bore selectors in place on the digits, the hand is spanned over the spherical sections 33 and 34 with the top of the thumb bore selector 21 bearing against the inner shell 34 at 46, and the top of the finger bore selector or selectors bearing against the outer shell 33 with their flexible arms 24 free below letting the thumb and fingers assume a natural position.

The handles 45 0f the diametrically opposite common bushings 37 are turned in opposite directions until the created span of'the spread spherical shells suits the hand.

The shells in their spread position are then looked to the common bushings 37 by tightening the loose set screws 36 and 42'and, in turn, clamped to shaft 40 by means of thumb screws 43.

It will be observed that in assuming the natural grip thethumb and fingers are not restricted along the edges of the spherical shells so that the relationship between the thumb andifingers and between the fingers themselves is purely a matter of users discretion.

Having thus determined the span, the pitch of any bore selector is determined by the combination of bending the flexible arm and displacing it from the center core as required'by means of the discs, and held in place by having. its flexible arm clamped in place between any pair of discs by thumb screw 27 below.

After each grip setting the gauge can be swung in the hand as would a bowling ball until the selection of spans and pitches produces a natural comfortable and balanced grip.

It will be observed that the symmetry of the gauge is broken only by the bore selectors and their flexible arms, and their combined influence on displacing the center of gravity of the gauge from its center is negligible.

Variations and modifications to the inventive concept of my invention may become apparent to those of particular needs or to suit personal whims, thereby obtaining all or part of thebenefi'ts of my invention without necessarily copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim 4. all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of'rny'clairns';

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bowling ball grip determining gauge, a weight, shafts extending therefrom in opposed directions, axially aligned and threaded at the opposite ends, a flexible arm pivotally mounted on each of. the shafts near its outer end and extending transversely from the shaft, clamping means threading on the outer end of each shaft and locking the flexible arm on that shaft: at a selected angular position with respect to the shaft, a thumb hole selector secured to the flexible arm on one of the shafts, and a finger hole selector secured to the flexible arm on the other shaft.

2. A bowling ball gauge according to claim 1, in which the weight is symmetrically placed with respect to the axis of the shafts and in central position between the two shafts.

3. A bowling ball gauge according to claim I, in which on the shaft opposed to that supporting the thumb hole selector there are two flexible arms with a finger. hole selector on each flexible arm.

4. A bowling ball gauge according to claim 1, in combination. with a second set ofopposed shafts threaded at the ends, securedto the gauge, lying in the same plane as the shafts previously mentioned and extending transversely to the shafts previously mentioned, shells over.- lapping one another conforming to thegeneral shape ofa bowling ball and rotatably mounted on the second set of opposed shafts, the respective shells in adjusted'position engaging the thumb hole selector and the-finger hole selector, and clamping means threaded on the shaft of'the second set and locking the shells in. adjusted' position at the setting for-the span required.

5. A bowling ball gauge according to claim 4', in which the shafts of the second set are reduced at the ends, and carry at each end on the reduced portion bushings secured to the respective shells and clamped in adjusted position by the clamping means.

References Cited in-the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,188,868 Shepard Ian. 30, 1940- 2,207,404 Hinkley July 9, 1940 2,283,469 Shepard May 19,, 1942 2,314,811 Akin Mar. 23, 1943: 2,349,394 Widdis May 23-, 19.44 2,503,324 Collins Apr. 11, 1950 2,539,918- McLaren Jan. 30,, 1951 

